Protector
by bluelily3
Summary: Aki has the day off, but her kids have other plans. When she ventures down to Kururu's lab, she finds out that he may need her for a dangerous mission... This story is somewhere after "Late Night Bath" and before "A Path Through Stars".
1. Chapter 1

The sunlight streamed through her window and warmed her face. She rolled away from it for a few minutes, but when she felt the cool breeze and heard the birds chirping, she couldn't resist getting up. She had the whole day off today, and she wasn't going to waste it in bed. She reached out for her glasses, which were nestled on her pillow. Then she stretched and tied her hair up. The whole day. She had been working for a week and a half. It was time to do something fun. With a quick glance at the clock, she nodded. Only eight. She hadn't slept in too long then.  
Aki Hinata pulled her door open and looked into Natsumi's room, which was right across from hers. It was empty, the bed made. She must be downstairs. Aki sniffed the air, and she could just make out a breakfast smell. But it was faint. When she walked past Fuyuki's door, his room was empty too. His straightened out blankets used to make her happier (when he was younger, he refused to make his bed, jumping on it every morning) but now she felt puzzled and a little down. Where were they? Didn't they know she had the day off? It did make her happy that they had things to do, energy to spend, friends to laugh with...but... Shrugging, she made her way downstairs. She wasn't sure about anything yet. They could still be watching TV or something.  
When she reached the kitchen, she found the notes. One on the refrigerator, and one next to her teacup. She read the one on the fridge first. Natsumi's. "Gone out for soccer practice. Will have lunch with Yayoi afterwards. Love you!" She smiled faintly, proud of her daughter's social life.  
When she was young, it had been harder to get friendships started. Sure, she was very charismatic now, but that didn't happen overnight. She grew up isolated in the mountains with her mother, and when she did finally manage to go to school, it was a small one. High school was when she really branched out. She made more friends and went into the city more and more, until she fell in love with it. Most of her believed that it was her looks that had helped her through it. Underneath that, Aki was strange and "different" to a lot of people. Even now, she didn't have many friends to hang out with. She worked too hard, and when she did try to make friends, she was too aggressive, or just said the wrong thing. Sometimes she cared. Sometimes she didn't. She had her mother, her children, and extraterrestrial aliens living underneath her house. What more could she want? However, if she thought about it too much, there was something else she wanted. She just couldn't put her finger on it. It had to do with companionship, someone she could still be with after the kids moved out. She also wanted something fun. Original. An adventure. Something no man in this world could give her. If she thought about it too much, it just made her antsy, so she chose move on and think about something else.

Aki moved over to the table, reading the note from Fuyuki that was pinned under her teacup. "I went out with Gunso to Nishizawa-san's place. Not sure when we'll be back. Have a relaxing day off!" She shrugged and was just about to put the note back on the table when a stray breeze from the window caught it and blew it out of her hand. When she bent to pick it up, there were smaller, rushed letters written on the back. "Fuyuki-dono left a couple of his books down in Kururu's lab. He's afraid something may happen to them, so he requests that you please retrieve them and place them back in his room. Arigato, Mama-dono!" Aki's eyebrow arched up. This was a strange request. Fuyuki never worried about lending Kururu books before. They were actually part of their own book club, and her son borrowed books from the yellow genius as well. Neither one of them were very picky about exactly what happened to them. As long as they were returned eventually. The only complaint that Fuyuki ever had was that Kururu made his pages smell strongly of curry. But he thought it was more amusing than annoying.  
As for going down to Kururu's lab, Aki thought it was a good idea. Her only other plans for the day were to sit around and be bored out of her skull. Besides, she liked Kururu. The two of them were developing a close, secret relationship. She had done a number of things with him already. They had made curry together once, and since then, she hadn't gotten up the appetite to eat anyone else's. Then there was that night when she had come home, and he had appeared in her bathroom. She hadn't minded it; they had an innocent bath together. Sometimes, while she slept, she felt a warmth next to her. In the morning, her nightshirt and blanket smelled like curry. She suspected that he took naps with her. Aki didn't find it menacing, but she also never told anyone else. Kururu had a reputation to keep, and she respected that. She thought he made a formidable foe, and though he would never be hers, she admired a good anti-hero. She was a storywriter after all.

As Aki looked at the note, she wondered. Had their cover been blown? Did Keroro and Fuyuki know about their friendship? She didn't see how anyone could. No one seemed to get close enough to Kururu to know about what sort of relationships he had. They were all too wary of him for that. That suited Aki. She didn't like to make a big deal out of things either.  
So, while she ate her breakfast, drank her tea, and put her clothes on, she smiled to herself. Kururu could be very exciting. His mind was a portal to all sorts of amazing things.

Aki stood before the grinning metal caricature of Kururu's face. She put her lips next to the speaker, even if she was sure he could see her. Sometimes, he wasn't by the screens. She hoped he wasn't taking a bath. Once she had come down here when he was, and she wondered why he ignored her until Keroro later told her why. She had found herself blushing alongside a smile. Who else in the known universe bathed in a vat of curry? It was truly fascinating.  
She casually wished him a good morning.  
"Ohayou, Kuru-chan! May I come in?" She smiled prettily at the camera, for good measure. In about 4 seconds, the toothy door slid open. She marched in, filled with wonder. No one else in the household, even Fuyuki, ventured into the lab much. But Aki relished the dark, damp atmosphere. It filled her with chills, and she liked them. It made her think of the unknown, the impossible. It inspired her. When Keroro first moved in, she had actually been disappointed that his room had been so clean and so human. Kururu's laboratory had been more of the sort of thing she'd imagined. She took a deep sniff. Metal, chemicals, blue flame from a blowtorch, all with a heavy undertone of curry spices. Most people would not enjoy these smells. That was what made Aki "different". She let her eyes adjust to the dim glow of the blue panels. She let her ears settle on the low purring and beeping of what she liked to think of as "breathing machinery." She heard the familiar quick typing that was Kururu. He hummed to himself as he worked, and she let herself stay still for a moment, listening. His voice was low and deep. The song sounded dreary for a moment, then the notes rose higher and become eerily cheerful. She detected the words "onion" and "potatoes". It was his curry preparation song. He hummed this when he was working on something that was relatively easy. When he worked on something difficult, he never hummed, but whispered to himself, with an occasional violent shout. Aki had only seen that once, and she had known enough to stay quiet until he was finished. She was surprised that he had let her in at all that day.

She stayed still for a another moment or two. She wasn't bothered and rather enjoyed his song. His voice sounded like his curry, dark and rich. He trailed off after awhile, then, rather abruptly, said:  
"Ohayou, Aki! Ku, ku!"  
"Kuru-chan!" She chimed his name, then came forward and placed a hand on the back of his chair. She looked at the screen above them, trying to make sense of the figures there. It was a network of numbers mixed with symbols that she'd never seen. Kururu added more with his keys, and it was hypnotic to watch.  
"More programming?" She guessed.  
He made a noise that meant 'yes' and that it wasn't nearly stimulating enough for him.  
"No work today, eh? About time you came home. You'll work yourself into the ground, Aki. Ku, ku!" She laughed with him.  
"Maybe if that happens, you can clone me, so I can work some more."  
"There's more to life than work, you know." He talked while he typed. His pace didn't slow. If anything, it quickened.  
"What do you do for fun?" He asked her. Aki had to think for a moment.  
"Well, I have my motorcycle."  
"Meh. I noticed while I was making upgrades that the gas hardly ever runs out. Lately, you've only been driving it to work."  
"Hmm. I would like to take it out and really ride it hard." She said this with such aggression that it caused her to blush. Kururu entered the wrong symbol, but like a lightening flash his finger was on the backspace key, deleting it efficiently.  
"Ku, ku! That's the spirit." After more typing, he spoke again.  
"You know..." His voice took on a mysterious tone. "I ride too."  
"Really? Well, I don't know why that should surprise me. You can probably ride just about anything." She said, slyly.  
"I can...and I have." His answer was just as sly. "We should ride together sometime. Ku, ku!"  
"A race? Isn't there a racetrack down here?"  
"If there's not, I'll make one."  
"That would be...so great. I can't remember the last time I opened throttle like that." Kururu made a coughing sound.  
"I'll get on that right away, then."  
"But Kururu. You and your...motorcycle. They would be so..."  
"Eh?"  
"So small. Are you sure you'd stand a chance against me?"  
"Ah, Aki. Lovely Aki. You just wait and see. Some of the fastest things in the galaxy are small. I'll show you what I mean. Sooner rather than later. Ku..." His voice trailed off and he continued typing. After awhile, Aki felt out of place.  
"Well, uh..."  
"Yes?"  
"I got this weird message from Kero-chan." Kururu's fingers hovered over the keyboard. He looked over his shoulder at her.  
"Ku?" The sound was a cross between his normal "ku" and his "eh?".  
"Wanna read it?" She fluttered it at him, and his little yellow hand grasped the paper. Before she could even straighten up fully, he had already read it.  
"This is a bit sneaky for Taicho. I don't think it's about any books."  
"That's what I was thinking too. I wonder if they've caught on to us." She winked at him suggestively and was delighted to see a drop of sweat break out on his forehead. He hopped out of his chair and walked over to a massive bookshelf. He took down an armful of books.  
"But...we could play their little game. Just for the hell of it. Ku, ku!" Aki bent over and took the books from him. Her shirt was partway open, and she almost engulfed Kururu with her breasts. He made a strangled sound, even after she pulled away. He was sweating a little more freely now. She pretended not to notice. In her mind, she told herself that it would probably be better to leave. He seemed extremely uncomfortable at the moment, and she didn't want to strain their friendship. He was also busy with his programming. Even if he had acted bored. She turned around with the books in one hand.  
"Well..." she said over her shoulder. Kururu was still standing there, taking short breaths. "I guess I better..." When she thought about going back upstairs a heavy feeling took hold of her. There was nothing to do, nowhere to go. She wanted to do something outrageous today. Something nobody else had done before. But all she had to look forward to was another cup of tea and some goofy show on TV. She bit back a sigh.  
"Hey." Kururu's voice startled her. She turned around.  
"Do you wanna-" He was cut off by a sharp beep from his console.  
"Eh. Hold that thought." He jumped back up into the chair and checked a messaging system. He whispered the message to himself, then read it again.  
"Damn. Looks like I have to go somewhere and straighten this up." Aki was beside him in a moment, scanning the message. She checked herself.  
"Oh. I hope that wasn't a secret or anything."  
"Nah. If it were a secret it would be in code. Doesn't matter anyway. Just someone's mistake. I have to go deal with it." Aki's spirits sank a little bit more. She smiled faintly.  
"I understand." She almost turned around again when she felt his damp hand. It grasped her wrist.  
"Wait a second. I could use you. Ku, ku!" It didn't even occur to her to be offended.  
"Really?"  
"Oh yes. See, I work with some pretty shady people."  
"Don't you get in trouble for that? Being in the military and all?"  
"I would, wouldn't I? But our military is a bit slack. They don't really care. Most of them hate me so much, they just let me do whatever I want. Ku, ku, ku!"  
"I see. You little rebel." She winked at him. He smiled, his mouth vertical.  
"Yes. They would love to discharge me, but I would be much more dangerous if I wasn't military." Aki got a shiver, but it wasn't from fear.  
"So the plan is, I need you for protection. I'm going to be doing some serious hacking, and someone needs to watch my back. Usually it's Giroro, but he's been on his own mission for a week now. Dororo has protected me a couple of times, but he's not into it. He doesn't like dirty dealings." As he talked, he walked around the lab, making preparations. He threw various things in a little pack, and Aki caught a glimpse of what looked like a gold bracelet. Her curiosity kicked up a notch.  
"Well, I'm definitely game. I had nothing to do today anyway."  
"Ku, ku..." He put a few more things in the bag, then shrugged into the straps.  
"Good. You could do some real damage. But you may need a lesson in control, Aki. For now, we'll start with the armory."


	2. Chapter 2

The escalator moved down and down, deeper into the bowels of the base. Aki felt bewildered. She looked down at Kururu, who was slumped beside her. He was silent, and she knew that he must be thinking about his mission. When he reached over and scratched at his backside, she reformed that thought. Maybe he wasn't thinking about anything at all. She tried not to giggle.  
When they finally reached their destination, she was struck with a familiar thought.  
"I think I've been down here before." She remembered that day when she thought someone in the base had stolen her glasses, and she'd come down here. She kept thinking she was seeing animals, and she broke into the armory and blasted up half of the place. Was that what Kururu meant by "a lesson in control?" She noticed that he was looking up at her, and even though it was dark, there was an amused gleam in his glasses.  
"Yes, you have. I saw it all from my lab. You made quite a mess."  
"I'm sorry, Kuru-chan. I didn't realize-"  
"Meh, don't apologize. I can't stand that. It was no problem anyway. I'm used to it. You're not the first one to come crashing around the base, and you won't be the last."  
"Well, that's good to know." She smiled, then looked up at the huge vault door. Kururu stood underneath the password panel. It was high up, more at Aki's level than his. He took a remote out from under his orange cap and pressed the same button three times. The doors shuddered. The metal ground shook and Aki lost her balance. She fell over, but caught herself with her hands.  
"I guess I should've warned you about that! Ku, ku!"  
"I'm alright. It just caught me off balance. These doors are huge!"  
"They have to be. Can't just have any old idiot bumbling in here and blowing up the place. No offense." Aki smiled at the jab.  
"Right. We can't have that. It must be why you have such a complicated password too." Kururu's eyebrow went up as she said this. He looked at his remote, then back up at her.  
"Nuh, huh...Well, come on, Aki. I'm gonna load you up first, and then take you to the simulation room. There you can work on accuracy and precision."  
"No grenades or wide-range bullets, huh?"  
"Not for you. I don't really want to get myself killed. If it's all the same to you."  
"Okay. I'll learn. I don't want to hurt you either." She bent towards him, almost falling out of her shirt again. He blushed bright red.  
"This way. Follow me. Ku, ku!"

After Kururu taught her how to use weapons with super space, (which was more or less what he downloaded and transferred to her) she was standing in the simulation room. She was armed with a light yet powerful gun. It was meant only for accuracy, a red laser pointing to the target. Unless she spun around like a ballerina, she wouldn't cause a lot of damage. Kururu assured her that the enemies she would face would only come one at a time. Two at the very most. The place he had to reach for the mission had a narrow corridor, and that's where she would stand. Right around the corner from him. To insure that everything would go right, he programmed the training room to look just like where they would be. She wore infrared goggles, because it would be rather dark. He told her about how they weren't supposed to be there. It was going to be a secret hack job. Apparently someone else was meant to do it, but they had failed and messed up everything. Kururu was doing this for a friend of a friend...but there was going to be trouble. There always was. Aki admired how he planned ahead and thought about everything.  
When she'd worked on her accuracy for 20 minutes, she heard his voice in her ear. It was being transmitted to her from behind the glass wall, where he was watching her progress.  
"I think that's good enough. You're a fast learner, Aki. Ku, ku! But we'd better go now. The sooner we leave, the less people will find out about this. Less enemies to worry about. Are you ready?"  
"One more thing, Kuru-chan."  
"Hm?"  
"Why didn't you ask Saburo-kun to come along with you instead of me?" Her question was met with silence.  
"Oh, not that I don't want to, Kuru-"  
"Saburo went with me last time. Only a couple of weeks ago. Don't want to tire the kid out... I've opened the portal. Ku, ku!"  
Aki was starting to get used to how he evaded things that he didn't want to talk about. He was a master of subtly. She was realizing that the more he brushed something off, the more important it was to him. Saburo, for instance. He hardly even mentioned him. They had a bond that was too personal. She smiled to herself and headed towards the door.

Back at the lab, Kururu prepared a transport for where they were headed. Aki hadn't really realized that they would be on a different planet. It was sort of obvious now, and she was almost embarrassed about it.  
"What's this planet like?" She asked. Kururu looked up from his screen.  
"See for yourself." She bent over and looked at the three-dimensional map on display. It looked like a giant swamp.  
"Oh...That's...so wet..."  
"Yes. I probably should have warned you about that. Ku!"  
"Kururu." She looked at him. He startled at the use of his given name and the sudden eye contact.  
"Eh?"  
"You say that a lot to people, don't you?" Her tone was scolding, and he made a noise that sounded like a "ku", caught in his throat.  
"None of your tricks will work with me, you know."  
"I wasn't trying to trick you, actually. I sort of..." He was hunched lower over the screen than normal, and though he was talking, he hadn't stopped typing. On the map, Aki noticed the numbers and letters that set the coordinates. The place where his hack job would be was marked, and Aki noticed that it was not only surrounded by swamp land, it was underground. She shivered.  
"I forgot to tell you about the climate of the planet, that's all." Kururu's voice interrupted her thoughts. Forgot? Something seemed off about that.  
"You forgot, huh? That doesn't seem quite like you."  
"Yeah, well. Nobody is 100% perfect. I'm only a 99 myself. You've gotta allow for that 1% sometimes... Ku, ku!" Aki shook her head. She knew there was something he was keeping from her, but she wasn't sure she could get it out of him. He evaded so much that it was like playing a game of mental dodge ball.  
"Oh well. At least I'm a good swimmer, and I'm not claustrophobic."  
"Mm hm... Already knew that. I've researched you quite thoroughly over the years..." Aki gave him a little shove, but he stayed hunched over the screen, not even a flinch.  
"Oh, Kuru-chan. You're impossible."  
"Ku, ku! Nothing is impossible, Aki." He typed for another 20 seconds or so, then the coordinates were set.  
"Done. Now I just have to calibrate the transport with the map here..." He walked over to the portal. It glowed, and reminded Aki of the doors she had seen Saburo draw, made of white shimmers. It was a bit different though. It still had an archway over it, but it was more of a glowing hole than a door. It pulsed, and as Kururu entered the coordinates that were on the map, it pulsed faster. Aki read the words "Plasomia" on the destination panel. She guessed that was the name of the planet. A sudden thought struck her. She looked down at her clothes. Wasn't she going to need swim gear? She didn't want to ask out loud, because a question like that would insult Kururu's intelligence. He had planned everything else out so well already, so she chose to stop worrying and just trust that he knew what he was doing.  
"Well, everything's set. We just have go through the portal, and then we'll be on Plasomia. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Ku, ku...It's actually a little dreary for my taste." Aki almost laughed out loud. Among his peers, Kururu was supposed to be the dreariest one out of the bunch. His laboratory, his mood, his very aura, were all considered dreary. Maybe he was the only one who didn't see himself that way. If she thought about it long enough, Aki herself wasn't sure if she would describe him that way either. Maybe it was because he was her friend, or maybe it was some sort of chemistry they had. Whatever it was, she actually thought he could be quite cheerful.  
He walked over to her side and looked up at her expectantly. He looked more ready than she felt. On his back was the bag he'd stuffed all those mysterious things in earlier.  
"Ready, Aki?" His voice was tinged with excitement.  
"I'm ready." She nodded to him. To her surprise, he reached up with his hand and clasped onto her own. She looked down. It was almost like when she used to take Fuyuki's tiny hand in hers before they crossed the road. She was filled with a strange feeling then. She couldn't label it in any way. She was just suddenly...very fond of the little Keronian. It must have showed a bit, because Kururu blushed.  
"Uh, we have to go through together. If we aren't touching, we could come through on opposite sides of the planet."  
"I see." She nodded. If she thought about it too much though, it didn't make sense. If they were both growing through the same portal, and its coordinates were set on the same exact place, why should it matter if they were touching? Or, if they really had to touch, he could have grabbed the edge of her shirt. But, to hold hands? She bit off a smile and grasped his small hand tighter in hers. It was warmer than she thought it would be.  
She stepped towards the pulsing blue-green light, and he followed. The short squeaky noise of his footsteps sounded loud in her ears. They seemed to say "piko, piko". She wondered if he was even slightly hesitant. Her own heart beat a little faster than she thought it would have. As she reached the light, all of her fears vanished and turned into excitement. This was what she had wanted to do today. This was something she could do everyday.

As soon as the pulsing light embraced her, she felt herself falling. It was a slow fall through a tunnel of flashing colors. She looked over her shoulder, and Kururu was behind her, hand clasped tightly to her wrist. Now she understood why they had to hold hands. The fall lasted a long time, and part of her wondered when it would end. Just when she was starting to feel dizzy, she felt Kururu's hand loosen its grip. At first she thought it was because the trip was over, but there was still more of the colorful tunnel ahead. Then she heard him make a little panicked sound, and she knew he was slipping. She had an idea. Without warning, she let go of his hand.  
"Nyaaa!" His voice was afraid, and she felt horrible, but there was no time. She flipped over onto her back. The air was lightweight, and they were still falling slowly. Luckily, the Keronian was not far behind her, and he was still falling forward. As he collided with her, she saw the expression on his face. His eyebrows were arched up into his cap and his hands were frantically grasping, like when he lost his glasses. She put out her arms and pulled him to her. When he was settled on her chest, she felt his heart beating rapidly. She hadn't meant to scare him so badly, but there was no other way. If he had slipped...  
They continued to fall that way, and she felt like Alice from the classic Lewis Carroll story. She started to like the sensation of floating in the free, brightly colored air. There was no sound except for their breathing, and the small weight of Kururu in her arms was something she wanted to capture in her mind. A few minutes later, he lifted his head and looked over her shoulder.  
"The opening..." His voice was faint and small. He sounded like he was a bit sick to his stomach. Aki realized that, despite how brilliant and confident he was, Kururu still had weaknesses like everyone else. He was still able to feel fear. This made her want to hold him longer.  
Then the colored tunnel was gone and she felt spongy ground press against her back. Kururu was struggling in her arms. She let him go, and he jumped down. Aki rolled over onto her side, then pushed herself to her feet. The first thing that she noticed about Plasomia was its smell. Like huge green waves, it rushed into her. It was salty and sweet and rotten. It was like a fish left out in the sun. It was putrid. She quickly plugged her nose.  
"Ugh..." When she looked over at Kururu, he had his back turned. At first she thought he was looking for something, but then she noticed that his head didn't move like it would if he were searching.  
"Kuru-chan? Where do we go now?" She inquired. He was silent.  
"Kuru-chan?" She walked over to him, then knelt beside him. He turned to look at her, and his eyebrow was at a sharp angle. He was annoyed.  
"Aki." His voice was firm.  
"Yes?" She hesitated.  
"When we go back through the portal, do NOT let go of my hand." He sounded so severe that she jolted back a little.  
"But...you were slipping. I couldn't just let you-"  
"I was going to use my other hand to adjust my weight-"  
"Kururu, you sounded scared! What else could I do?"  
"Aki... you've never traveled through a transport before. You don't know the danger of freefalling. Anything could have happened to me. When you let go of my hand..." He shuddered very slightly. "Just...don't do it again." Aki bit her lip and turned from him. She could still hear his scream and see his face. No wonder he had been so frightened. She could have lost him. Her hand flew up to her mouth, and she bit her thumbnail, hard.  
"Kuru...I'm sorry..." Her tone was heavy, wet. They stood in silence, and the noxious breeze of the swampland wafted by. Relief flooded through her when she heard the sound of his footsteps at her feet.  
"Well, we made it anyway. And we have a mission to carry out. Let's not waste time." He was less severe now and she looked down at his round face. He pulled the strap of his backpack off his shoulder let it down gently. Now Aki was even more curious about what was in it. Digging around for a moment, he brought out the golden bracelet. He lifted it up over his head and gestured to her with it.  
"Put this on. It will make it much easier for you to swim. Ku, ku." She took it from him and slid it over her wrist. It was a perfect fit. Sunlight shone on it and she noticed there were red and orange jewels glimmering there. Why would he make it so beautiful if it was just to help her swim? She looked at him, but he had his head turned to one side, his fingers busy on his remote buttons.  
"How do I...?"  
"Just press the red button and the orange button together."  
"Kind of fancy for buttons aren't they? More like jewels."  
"Are you pressing them?"  
"Just a sec-OH!" As soon as she pressed the buttons, a very strange sensation went through her. She felt her body shifting, changing. Her very bloodstream felt like it was re-routing. What had he done? Her vision blurred as she shrank in size. How would shrinking help her swim? This and dozens of other questions went through her mind. Then the sensation was gone, and she sat on the spongy ground, heart racing.  
"What...happened?" Kururu came over to her, and he seemed bigger somehow. Then he made an uncharacteristic move. He bent over and took her hand, helping her up. Her surprise at that lasted less than a second when she looked down and noticed that his hand was the same size as hers. And her hand was...a dark blue. Her mouth flew open (or had it been open already?) and she walked over to the edge of the swamp. The surface was cloudy, but there was just enough of a clear spot to see. She bent over. Her head was larger than her body. She was short and her limbs were chubby. She had been turned into a Keronian.


	3. Chapter 3

"You DID trick me! You never said anything about changing my form!" Aki turned on Kururu, but her anger fell short on him. He just stared. Wanting to know what he was staring at, Aki looked at her reflection again. Her skin was the dark blue of her hair. On her belly was a Japanese maple leaf. Her seasonal namesake. She still had hair, but it was short and layered. A bandana covered her head. She had the same eyes, only they were larger in this form. Even her tiny glasses floated on her face. She did make a nice Keronian, but she didn't see what he was staring at. In her human form she had curves. Keronians weren't very curvy. Aki didn't mind too much, since she had never really been vain. Just to be sure that she was only a typical Keronian, she slid her hands down her body. Kururu made a quiet noise from behind her, but she ignored it. She did notice that her hips were a bit wider, and her belly was rounder. Apparently that was a good thing. She sighed and turned to Kururu.  
"You know, I would have said 'yes' if you would have asked me."  
"Wha...?" Kururu looked a bit on the foggy side.  
"To be a Keronian. I wouldn't have minded. Although, I can turn back, can't I? Kuru-chan?"  
"Eh? Oh, yes...you can turn back any time you want. Just press the same two buttons again."  
"So...aren't we on a mission?" Aki's eyebrow arched at him.  
"Ku...right...Actually, I turned you into a Keronian because it's much easier to swim on this planet that way."  
"That makes sense. Even if you did hide it from me."  
"Ku, ku...Hey, if you haven't been tricked by me, then you haven't truly been tricked by anyone. But don't take it personally. It's not permanent."  
"But what about the training I did with that gun? How will I shoot it like-"  
"I just said you can change back, silly woman." Aki nodded, feeling out of her element.  
"Now, we have to dive into the swamp and swim to the underground network. It's not gonna be fun..."  
"Wait, don't you have a submarine or something?" Kururu sighed, exasperated.  
"If I could use something like that, I would. But this place has very narrow tunnels, and it's easier to get around in them with our natural bodies. Also, I brought masks so we can breath underwater."  
"Okay...but that water is...kinda nasty."  
"Ku, ku. Picky, picky. We won't be able to smell it once we're down there. I'm just glad it's warm."  
After a bit more explaining, and some underwater preparation, Kururu walked to the edge of the water, got in up to his waist, then dove in. Aki followed as fast as she could, trying not to get distracted by his prowess in the water. It was suddenly more appealing to her than it would have been normallly. She hadn't seen the Keronians swim much, but it was definitely what their species was created for. Kururu was easy to spot ahead of her. He had a floating map of the tunnels in front of him, and it gave off a bright glow. After a few minutes of swimming, she realized that for being in a hurry, he wasn't going very fast. She guessed that either he didn't want to get lost, or he was saving his energy for the hack job. Or maybe he was not as confident a swimmer as she had thought he was. She hoped it that wasn't the case. As she glided through the silent water, she wished they could communicate. It had been better in the training room, when she could hear his voice in her ear. There must be someway to talk underwater, even with the masks, but he hadn't provided it. They didn't really need it, but Aki felt disconnected.  
It was a long swim through the dark, green tunnels, and when they finally reached the right place, she felt relieved. Even if she did have to take action now, it would be better than the endless swimming. The door in front of them was made of heavy metal. Kururu passed his hand over a panel, and it became clear. They could see the inside of the dank room. He swam forward and melted into the door. When he was through, he beckoned to her from the other side. She pushed her way through, and it was like swimming through a wall of water. When she saw that Kururu's breathing mask was gone, she took off hers too. The door had turned back into metal, sealing off the water outside.  
"Okay." He said, a little breathless. "We are in the building now, but this isn't the room I do the job in. Through that other door, there is a hallway. It's a lot like the one you trained in. Your job is to stay alongside the wall and keep watch. The enemy will get through the outside door with no problem. It's only a matter of time now. I'm surprised we haven't run into any yet. Ku, ku!" He walked to a door opposite the one they came into. It was marked with an orange symbol. Kururu passed his hand over it, and it opened slowly. Aki followed him into the narrow hallway. It was completely dark.  
"Now is the time to change back, Aki. Then you can put the infrared goggles on."  
"Wait, Kururu."  
"What?"  
"How long will it take you to hack?"  
"Shouldn't be more than 20 minutes. That guy before me really screwed it up, so...a half hour, tops."  
"How many-" Her voice was cut off by a deep vibration. A blasting sound came from the room they had just exited. They hadn't closed the door with the orange symbol on it yet, and Aki could see the locked metal door as it shuddered.  
"Ku! Here they come now, Aki. Hurry and change back, then, get loaded! KU, ku...ku...!" He dashed down the hallway and around the corner, his glasses lighting the walls up with flashlight beams. Aki closed the door and locked the handle, hoping it would give her more time. Since whoever it was seemed to be making an easy job out of the giant metal door, she guessed this one would be like cardboard. Then she drew her attention to the transforming bracelet. She blinked in the dark, not able to see anything. She could hear Kururu in the room around the corner, busily setting up his technical tools. She had to think on her own. Desperately, she pushed down on what felt like buttons on the bracelet. When she finally found them, she felt another vibration. Then a high pitched squealing noise. They must be using something to cut into the thick metal of the door. She changed back to her normal body quickly, and with her other hand, placed the goggles over her eyes. She pressed her body against the damp wall, waiting. She wondered if it would be easier to go back into the room and meet the enemy at the metal door. She could surprise them faster, and there would more space to fight in. There was also more light in there, but that would give her a disadvantage. However, it would keep them further away from Kururu if they fought in the room. She wondered how they would open the door without letting water flood in. As the third vibration shook her, she decided she should stay here like she'd practiced. There were more advantages to the narrow hallway and she'd been trained for precise attacks anyway. But every instinct screamed at her to get out of the confined space. She had a nagging sense that something wouldn't work out right.  
With the next loud concussion, she heard scrambling noises in the room. They must have found someway to make the door accessible without releasing the water. She listened hard, gathering information on what kind of creature it could be. Kururu had never filled her in on that part. She tilted her head to the side, listening to him in the next room. There was the sound of vigorous typing.  
In the room before her, there were heavy footsteps, and the screech of claws on the stone floor. She really wanted to ask Kururu what they were, but she couldn't give away her position. The footsteps got closer to the other door. Aki trained the guided laser onto it. It suddenly burst out with no effort. Chunks of rotten wood flew past her. One scraped her face, but she didn't notice. Through her goggles, she saw what she had been wondering about. Two enormous lizard-like aliens pushed through the threshold. Her stomach turned in revulsion. She couldn't stand any kind of animal, and these things were what some of her nightmares were made of. One of them spoke, and its hot breath blasted in her direction.  
"Where is that little bastard? We've got to get to him. Vesha almost got into the system before we killed him off. This guy is a legendary hacker. And Kasra wants him alive."  
"I wonder why." The other one said. "I wanted to kill him."  
"He's military, I heard. It would have been a challenge."  
"Super intelligent AND strong? I doubt it. Heh, heh."  
Aki had ducked behind a crate around the corner. It was farther from them, but closer to Kururu. She would try her hardest to snipe both of them under cover before they got too close. The first one, a darker color that his partner, walked within range. She pointed the laser at his head, and fired. The pink ray glanced off of his scales. She swore in her head. Before he had too much time to react, she pointed it at his unarmored chest. The place she should have aimed for first. Laser fire blazed into him and he fell to the ground. The second lizard man was warned now. He jumped over his partner's sizzling from and ran over to her hiding spot behind the crate. He had been the one who said he'd wanted to kill Kururu. She knew suddenly that he would not follow orders like the other one would have. She had to get him away from that room. She rolled out from behind the crate, keeping the gun tucked under her. The lizard man spotted her. He could see in the dark.  
"Ah ha! A woman, huh? And you're not even Keronian. Come here, pretty!" He lunged at her while she was in mid-roll, and she shot at him. He dodged.  
"Fierce protector...Ha, ha. Why would you guard him, I wonder?" He came after her again, and she made for the room further down the hall. Just when she was about the push through the empty doorway, she felt something sharp cut into her shoulder. The beastly man was much faster than her.  
"He ain't worth it, lady. You don't know what he's done. Otherwise you'd leave him and save yourself. Or was that what you were just doing?" He gripped her shoulder, slicing into it further. She gasped, biting off a scream. She wouldn't distract Kururu. He needed more time than this. The enemy lifted her up in his huge claws and pressed her against the wall.  
"If you tell me where he is, I'll let you go..." His breath smelled like death, and slime spattered her face when he talked. She shook her head.  
"Come on, baby... It's like I said, he's not worth it. Just tell me where he is." She clenched her hand on the gun. It was too long to take aim, and he was too close. The slight action betrayed her. He noticed that she still held it, and plucked it out of her hand with one motion. Aki had always been known for her strength. But she was sure she couldn't do much against this beast. He tossed the gun and it clattered to the hard floor. Then he got a firmer grip on her and slammed her against the wall. A yell escaped her.  
"Tell me, bitch! .He?!" He smashed her with each word. Aki knew he wasn't very smart. She had been protecting Kururu. Wouldn't he know that he was within reach? But she could also have been the first in line of a group of guards. Now he was squeezing around her waist, and she could feel her ribs creaking. Then with her goggles, she saw a slight motion behind the lizard man's shoulder. It was Kururu. His hands were going for his headphones and his gaze pierced her, a warning. Her own hands flew up to her ears, covering them. The lizard man was just as quick. She had warned him as well. He spun around right when Kururu's antennae popped out. Quick as lightning, he lashed out with his tail. It slammed into the Keronian's small body and sent him bouncing into a wall. A scream escaped Aki's mouth.  
"No!" When the beast let go of her and advanced on Kururu, Aki took her chance. Despite her wounds, she somersaulted over to her gun. It lay in a corner not far from her. Lizard man's back was turned, bending over Kururu, who was struggling to get up. She knew that his back was too heavy armored, so she took a huge chance. She aimed the laser at the wall. The creature was concentrating on Kururu, so she hoped he wouldn't see it. He had already lowered his clawed foot on the little Keronian. Aki fired the laser, and it bounced off the stone wall, piercing through the lizard man's face. He made a hideous sound like tearing paper. He jumped away from Kururu, clawing at his eyes. Aki ran over to her friend and picked him up. He was able to move, but they needed to get out of there, fast. His tiny hand gripped her wounded shoulder, then recoiled. He hung onto her forearm instead. Aki ran towards the room they had come in through.  
"Aki! Head for the place I was in! There's a better way out!" Kururu ordered. She turned around, flying past the lizard man, who still held his face in agony. She sped down the hallway, using Kururu's flashlight beams for guidance. When they reached the room, he jumped out of her arms, packing his instruments and laptop. His pack barely made it to his back when there was a sound in front of them. A panel in the wall slid up, an invisible door. Three more lizard men filed out. And behind them...something much worse.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kasra..." Kururu whispered. Pushing his way to the front was a large snake creature. He didn't have four limbs like a Viper. He slithered on his belly. His eyes were a yellow-gold and Aki found herself looking away from them. Inside, she was screaming. Why did it have to be another disgusting reptile?! She made a move to raise her gun, but Kururu pressed his hand against her shin. A signal to wait.  
"Well, Kururu Socho." Kasra spoke. His tongue wagged from between his teeth, and his voice sounded like dried leaves. Aki's stomach turned.  
"I see you've managed to hack into my system. Doing favors for an old friend, eh? How unlike you. Would you like to see where I keep Vesha?" Kururu was silent.  
"Well, parts of Vesha." His laugh was a hiss. "I've been after him for quite some time now. But nowhere near as long as I've been after you. I take pleasure in Fate. I would've killed anyone who destroyed my system anyway. But you're not just anyone." Kururu straightened at this, as if it were a compliment.  
"You're...a Keronian." He licked his lips. Aki bit back a gasp. Snakes and frogs were natural enemies...Keronians must be some sort of delicacy to their type. Every nerve in her wanted to reach out, grab Kururu and escape. But she couldn't navigate the underwater tunnels with her wounded shoulder. And she wasn't fast enough for a giant snake. Suddenly Kururu spoke up.  
"Ku, ku...You only have five minutes, Kasra. Then this place will be rubble at the bottom of the lake."  
"Yes, I am very aware of that. We had better get going then." He gestured for two of the lizard men to grab Kururu. Aki stepped forward, but the third one blocked her. Kururu didn't struggle. He acted like it didn't matter either way. But when he looked over at her, there was a wrinkle in his brow.  
"What are we going to do with the pretty lady?" One of the lizard men asked Kasra.  
"Leave her behind to drown. She's not worth anything." Aki's mind scrambled for a plan. She suddenly stood tall and started sliding her hands down her curves. She hated to do it like this, but she didn't want to leave Kururu.  
"Oh, but I am worth something, Kasra-sama." Her tone was deep and sensual. Kasra laughed.  
"Really? I'm not really a fan of Pekoponian females."  
"I'm not really a Pekoponian."  
"What are you, then?"  
"Anything you want me to be." With her hands behind her back, she pressed the buttons on the bracelet. She transformed into a Keronian, and the lizard men gasped.  
"What...?" Kasra hissed.  
"I'm a shape-shifter. I can be this, or anything else."  
"I have no need for another Keronian. Even if you do look tasty. Can you change into a Snake?"  
"I need a day to study you, and then I'll learn. Just let me watch you, Kasra-sama. Then, I'll be everything you need." From the corner of her eye, Aki saw Kururu swallow hard. He looked relieved, but also a bit annoyed. Kasra however, seemed interested. He licked his sharp teeth with his forked tongue and hissed softly.  
"I supposed I could put you in my harem. Maybe you can teach those empty-headed females a thing or two. Safrin, grab her. If she runs away from here, she'll just alert the rest of this one's foolish platoon anyway. We'll face them later."  
"Why don't we just eat 'em all?" Safrin, who had a firm grip on Aki, asked.  
"It's not that simple," Kasra replied. "The socho," and here he poked Kururu in the belly with his tail, "Is dangerous enough. But they have Giroro Gocho on their team." Some of the men shuddered.  
"Yes, you remember. But let's stop babbling and get out of here. We only have... How long, socho?"  
"Two minutes." Kururu rubbed his belly where he'd been jabbed. Despite that, he still managed to look undefeated.  
"Right. Let's get moving."

Kasra had a small submarine waiting outside of the underground base. Aki couldn't figure out why reptiles would make a secret network under a swamp. She doubted that Plasomia was their planet either. Maybe the secret worked better that way. She and Kururu were taken to the very bottom of the sub, and locked in a room together. She was still a Keronian, and when his men shoved her into the room, she heard Kasra saying something about eating her too, and how women were too much of a hassle anyway. She didn't really care. At least she could be alone with Kururu, and they could plan someway to escape. If Kasra was really that smart, he would have put Kururu somewhere were he could keep an eye on him.  
When she was pushed into the room by a lizard man, she landed on her wounded shoulder, and blood ran onto the stone. She cried out, now that she didn't have to look stronger in front of the enemy. The chamber was dark, but she still saw Kururu as he made his way over to her.  
"Turning into a Keronian made your wound larger and more fatal. You shouldn't have done all of this, Aki." His voice was soft. He produced a medical kit from super space and began working on her injury.  
"Why didn't you try to escape? You could have gone back to Pekopon."  
"No. I couldn't just leave you, Kuru-chan. They're going to eat you!"  
"Get serious. I can save myself. I don't need you here to do it."  
"I know. But I don't think I could have escaped anyway. I didn't know the way out of those tunnels, and with my shoulder...Then there is the portal. I stand a better chance with you. I knew you'd figure something out, so I stuck with you."  
"You're a smart woman, betting your Fate on me. I always find a way."  
He poured an antiseptic into the gash and she sucked in air through her teeth.  
"Sorry. At least it's easier to treat you when you're in my form..." Aki noticed he wasn't "ku-ing" anymore. 'He must be working on a plan', she thought. As he cleaned, stitched and bandaged her, he did seem distracted. He even poked himself with the needle once, swearing softly. When he was finished, Aki realized she was dizzy and tired from blood loss. She leaned against Kururu, feeling safe with him. He laughed quietly to himself.  
"On the other hand...This could be the last day of our lives. Wanna make the best of it? Ku, ku, ku!" Aki smiled and rolled her eyes, but he proved to be all talk no action. Minutes passed, and he made no move to touch her. He hadn't pulled away from her when she leaned on him, so she stayed that way for awhile. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. The room was dark and warm, and Kururu was soft...  
"No, Aki. Don't fall asleep." His voice cut into her reverie.  
"We have to stay alert." He pushed himself up to his feet and Aki straightened, pressing her back against the hard wall. She used the pressure to remind her of reality. Her shoulder throbbed, keeping her awake too. Kururu started to pace around.  
"Well, they took my bag, but they weren't smart enough to take my headphones...Ku, ku. They never are. Let's see, we are in a submarine, but it converts..."  
"Into what?" Aki asked.  
"A spaceship. I noticed the details while they walked us through it. Kasra's planning to launch into space. I'm guessing his home planet. There, he'll probably torture me before eating me. He really hates me...Ku, ku!"  
"How long has he been looking for you, Kuru-chan?"  
"Oh, 200 years...give or take. Probably longer. He's been after me since I was a shosa. That's when I caused the most trouble, you see. Ku, ku..."  
"We can't let him land on his planet." Aki said. Her voice was quiet.  
"Exactly. It's full of Snakes. I've been there once, but only in the safety of a mecha." Aki was shivering. The idea of a planet writhing with snakes made her want to throw up. Then...to her horror...she did. In the corner, she convulsed until her stomach was emptied. This was the last thing she wanted to do, in the last place she'd ever wanted to be. The fact that Kururu was there only made it worse. In this form, she was starting to have strong feelings for him. And now she was spewing her breakfast all over the wall in plain site. When she was through, she slumped over, afraid to turn around. Then she felt Kururu's hand on her good shoulder.  
"Aki...We won't get that far. We'll figure out a way to get off this ship. I promise. And besides, it's still a submarine. We're not even in space yet! Ku, ku!"  
"How long...do you...think we have, Kuru-chan?"  
"Long enough. Just leave the planning to me." He sat down and she scooted closer to him, away from the foul puddle. Then he surprised her. He took the only thin blanket that was in the room and wrapped it around her tightly. Then he pulled her close to him, laying her head on his belly. His hands were in her hair, smoothing it out.  
"I've got most of it figured out, but it's not time to take action yet. I think we'll have to wait a few hours. In the meantime, you should get some rest."  
"But, I thought..."  
"It's okay, now. I don't think they'll come for us until they land on their planet. That gives us lots of time. If something happens, I'll wake you up. At least Kasra changed his mind about you being in his harem. I wondered how you were going to pull that off." Aki laughed softly.  
"Me too."  
"Ku, ku, ku..." He continued to slide his fingers through her hair, and she fell asleep to the sound of Kururu murmuring to himself, putting the finishing touch on his plans.


End file.
